As 2025 draws to a close, it is time to take a look what KMB Communications (KMB Comm) has been doing to support its clients—and help to contribute to the smart home industry’s growth.
Led by founder and CEO Katye Bennett, the veteran public relations professional works closely with the popular smart home B2B (business-to-business) publication Residential Systems contributing monthly columns that focus on a range of topics.
KMB Comm’s Lisa Montgomery, another veteran market professional, has also written a range of content items for publications across the consumer electronics industry.
Highlighting Bennett and Montgomery’s contributions to the smart home industry in 2025, here’s a look at some of their articles.
A Look Back at KMB Comm’s Residential Systems Columns for 2025
Over the course of the year Bennett’s monthly column tackled a variety of topics to stir conversation, while providing thought leadership to help integrators streamline their businesses.
Here is a recap of the KMB Comm Residential Systems for 2025:
- January: “Crafting an Effective Marketing Plan for 2025”
- February: “Lessons Learned from Mittens the Cat”
- March: “Outsmarted by a Smart Toilet”
- April: “Navigating Shifting Social Media Sentiments”
- May: “Checking More Boxes: How to Stand Out in a Competitive Marketplace”
- June: “The Psychology Behind Decision Making”
- July: “Be the Guide, not the Guru: Empowering People Through Educational Content”
- August: “Relatable Beats Perfect: How Flawed Content Builds Unshakable Trust”
- September: “Make Your Brand a Stop-and-Stay Social Experience”
- October: “Turning Clients into Community”
- November: “The First Impression You Didn’t Know You Were Making”
- December: “AI and HI”
Highlighting a few of these columns, March’s “Outsmarted by a Smart Toilet” demonstrated that just because a product incorporates the latest technologies, it does not mean people will use the product if the solution isn’t intuitive to operate.
In May issue of Residential Systems, the KMB Comm column, “How to Stand Out in a Competitive Marketplace” looked at ways integration firms can make their businesses stand out. A few points of interest from the column include the importance of clear communications and the ability to deliver ongoing support and maintenance.
The column also provides examples of ways that integrators can validate their work to show potential clients their capabilities.
Towards the end of the year, the KMB Comm Residential Systems’ column, “From Browsing to Beling: Turning Clients into Community” examined why it is important for dealers to make clients feel like they are a part of something bigger.
The column makes the point that homeowners aren’t just buying a smart home system, they are buying integrators’ solutions and culture. Bennett recommends several ways that dealers can involve their clients in their communities—and most importantly make them feel like a valued member of a community.
Content for Other Media Companies
Montgomery has also been active throughout the year providing stories to publications that include CE Pro and Residential Systems.
Using her decades of industry experience, which include work at the consumer publication Electronic House, as well as the B2B publication CE Pro. Earlier this year Montgomery contributed an item to CE Pro on how to sell power management and energy storage, and just recently she contributed an item on high-performance, luxury home theater.
The KMB Comm account manager & copywriter’s contributions to Residential Systems includes an item on how to use the popular audio brand Sonos in light commercial environments such as restaurants and retail stores. Another interesting contribution Montgomery made to the large publication was a story on the rise in high-performance video walls in luxury home theaters.
In addition, the newest KMB Comm team member is former CE Pro staff member Bob Archer. Joining the team about a month ago, he had written a couple of noteworthy items for CE Pro earlier this year.
In the spring of 2025, he put together a story on the grassroots industry organization BIG AV. BIG AV’s goal is to provide more educational and employment opportunities to its diverse membership to help grow the smart home industry and fulfill its need for qualified labor. The other noteworthy story he wrote was the second annual CE Pro Women to Watch List for 2025. This story recognizes the contributions of women to the growth and prosperity of the smart home industry.
Of course, KMB Comm has its own website where visitors can learn about the PR firm’s roster of clients and what’s happening in the residential and commercial electronics industry. Go here to check out everything KMB Communications has to offer.
KMB Comm Sponsors CEDIA Awards
Helping to fuel the public relation firm’s profile within its core market, KMB Communications served as a sponsor for the CEDIA. The trade organization points out that KMB served as the headline sponsor for its 2025 Smart Home Awards, along with the firm’s clients that include Apex Technologies, Leon Speakers, Quantum Media Systems, Somfy, Torus Power, Wall-Smart, and D-Tools.
The awards recognize industry professionals that are driving current and future trends as the home technology market continues to evolve.
Commenting on the sponsorship of the annual CEDIA program, KMB Communications founder Katye Bennett emphasizes the awards provided her firm a platform to showcase its support of the smart home industry.
“At KMB, our support of the industry runs deep. So much so, that we were compelled to be the headline sponsor of the CEDIA Awards at CEDIA Expo. This provided us the opportunity to share who we are, what we do, and why we love and support the industry as we do—creating, distributing, sharing, and celebrating compelling content, creative, communications, and strategies for some of the best brands and people in the biz,” states Bennett.
“It was nerve-wracking at first [read the post on the event on LinkedIn] that was published in KMB’s feed the week after the show) but for me personally, it served as a career-defining moment. KMB turns 15 in 2026, and you will be hearing a lot more about our company, partners, offerings, and growth plan. Until then, you’re just going to have to wait eagerly …”
KMB Communications hosts a podcast called AV Trade Talk. Listeners can check out the podcast to learn about the latest happenings in the custom installation electronics industry. To listen to the KMB AV Trade Talk Podcast, click here.